Rift
by gyafag
Summary: Set in a time centuries ago, this is the tale of a girl and her quest for revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**Rift**

Prologue:

This story takes place many years ago, in a time less civilised than ours. In those days, Johto and Kanto were in an uneasy peace. The fact that both powers were busy locking horns allowed piracy and slavery to flourish in the less well defended areas. The fact that the continent of Hoenn had poorly enforced laws regarding slaves meant that business for such men thrived. One particularly infamous privateer was the dreaded Captain Treacher, whose name struck dread into the citizenry of Johto. During a previous war, he had obtained his Letter of Marque from Kanto's king, and even now in peace, continued to terrorise the coastal regions of Johto. What made this one man so much more fearsome than his contemporaries was his novel use of pokemon. While most people regarded pokemon as pets or decorations, Treacher was one of the first men to realise the potential of such beasts as weapons, ushering in a new era of warfare, more brutal than ever before.

Chapter 1: 

Lucy felt the golden sand shifting beneath her, as she squinted at her opponent. Her rapier felt heavy in her hand, and sweat from her soaked brow was causing her eyes to sting, made worse by her long brown hair which plastered her moistened face. Sweeping it aside, she launched a sudden attack, lunging forward at the grinning man. Stroking his carefully groomed beard thoughtfully, he parried without any visible effort, and with a whip of his wrist, riposted so ferociously that the rapier was thrown from Lucy's grip. His blade ended at Lucy's throat, the blunted end so cold against her skin. The man sighed, and lowered his training blade. "Your attack was rushed, and it was too easy to predict! Again!" He motioned with his rapier at her sword which lay askew in the sand. Glowering, Lucy picked it up.

"En Guarde, madame!"

The clanging of their blades rang out loudly in the early morning sun, but here at this secluded beach there was no-one to hear them but the occasional wingull, and so the illicit fencing lesson continued undisturbed.

Later that morning, drenched in sweat, Lucy crept back into her family mansion, just West of Azalea Town. The growlithes that guarded the back entrance were no problem, since she had befriended them long ago as a young girl. They were smart, and seemed to understand that she needed them to remain quiet. As her father was the magistrate and local lord, he was still in town, as he often was for periods of days, attending to business, thus giving her a little bit more freedom. However, her mother would still be around, and she certainly wouldn't approve of a girl learning to fight. It was fortunate that her mother didn't seem to bother checking up on her till breakfast. This gave her plenty of time. She ordered a servant to run her a bath, lying back in the large tub, as two of her maids, Anna and Maria poured in hot water. She quickly cleaned herself up, her thoughts still dwelling on the handsome Rafael. He was one of the greatest swordsmen in his home continent of Hoenn, and quickly made a name for himself all over the world as a teacher. And on top of that, he was certainly very easy on the eye... And he had said that he could think of few men of her age who could rival her with the sword! She sighed inaudibly. There was no chance of that fantasy working out; after all, the magistrate's daughter couldn't marry a lowly swordmaster, regardless of how famous or attractive he was. Especially not one from that barbarous southern continent! The fact that at thirty years of age, he was over ten years older than her was no issue at all. After all, the man that her father had promised her to, the magistrate of Cianwood, was almost forty. In fact, at nineteen, she was marrying much later than many of her friends.

She breakfasted in silence with her mother, and for that she was grateful. It allowed her to slip off into a world of her own creation, where there was action and excitement. As it was, the hardest decision she had to make on a daily basis was what to wear. But in her mind, she was off exploring the jungles of Hoenn. Her mother's voice brought her suddenly back to reality.

"Sorry, mother?"

"Pay attention when I speak to you!" her mother pursed her lips in a severe fashion. "Two days from now, you'll be boarding a ship to Cianwood to meet young Rutherford"

It took all of Lucy's self control to no blurt out, "Hah! Young!?" Instead, she sat meekly in silence as her mother continued.

"Now, I want you to save your best outfit for when you meet him. We must impress him!"

She sat and half listened as her mother droned on, about dressing to 'emphasise her assets'. Rupert Rutherford was by all accounts a dry and dull man, not much given to earthly pleasures. _'It'd take pretty big assets to impress him!' _Lucy almost giggled aloud at the thought, but stopped herself as her mother continued her rant.

"You're ever so thin, dear, couldn't you put on just a little weight? And you must carry your parasol when you go out in the sunlight, why, your skin is becoming far too dark..."  
Pasting an attentative smile onto her face, Lucy plunged back into the dream world.

As the morning wore on, the sun still blazing in the sky, Lucy's carriage rushed towards Azalea Town, drawn by two powerful looking rapidash. Inside, glad for the protective shade, Lucy sat with two maids, carrying a message for her father. Twice a week, in what had become a ritual, Lucy was allowed to travel to town, in order to meet with her friends, all respectable young women from respectable families. Today was somewhat special, since there was to be a party later on that evening. Her mother had considerable reservations about her attending such an event without her, but the fact that her father would be there allayed her fears. To Lucy, who preferred her privacy in an already hugely stifled life, her father's presence was simply an annoyance.

Anna and Maria giggled almost incessantly, and occasionally let Lucy in on the jokes, though it was clear that they felt uncomfortable talking to her. In much the very same way, she felt very out of place here. It was amusing, however, that Anna and Maria spent most of their time gossiping and sniping at other women, in much the same way as her friends would once she arrived. She wondered if they gossiped about her while she wasn't there. Sadly, she concluded that it was almost certain.

Finally, the carriage pulled up to the magistrates office. She strode into the marble building, no longer impressed by it's detailed decorations, nor the sheer splendour of it. The guards knew who she was, so the security checks were brief, and soon, she came to her father's room. A wizened old servant formally announced her arrival as she walked in. Her father sat behind his desk, quill in hand, and didn't even glance up. His room was vast, with huge windows, allowing plenty of sunlight in. Deep purple curtains framed them, and empty suits of armour lined the long room, holding halberds, pikes and spears. While she waited, Lucy found her eyes drawn to a young spearow in a beautiful golden cage. Unusually for such an aggressive pokemon, it sat quietly on its perch, glancing about the room with short, sharp movements of its neck.

After what seemed to be an eternity, her father looked up. His face cleanly shaven, and framed by middle length brown hair, the same colour as Lucy's. He gave her a stern look, and then enquired, "And to what do I owe the pleasure of my daughter's company?"

Wordlessly, Lucy handed over the enclosed message, and was dismissed. Gratefully, she sped from his presence, feeling as if she'd just had a narrow escape, as was usual after any encounter with her father.

She took her carriage to the sea-side resort of one of her friends, Elizabeth, and joined them as they sat quietly in the garden, discussing the latest rumours. There were only two young women at the moment, since she was somewhat early herself. Elizabeth, a tall, vivacious brunette, remarked to Katherine, "Did you see that Andrina at the ball last week? She looked so ridiculous trying to squeeze into a dress half her size! They say her father is at his wits end trying to find some poor fool to pawn her off to!" Lucy began to drift off into her own world again; it was amazing how someone with as high pitched and squeaky a voice as Elizabeth could send anyone to sleep, but somehow she was managing. As much as she liked her, Elizabeth really could be a tedious bore sometimes. Katherine, Lucy's closest friend, tall where Lucy was short, and well fleshed out where Lucy was somewhat lacking, smiled at her friend's uninterested face. Elizabeth pretended to be offended by this, but in truth, the three of them were close enough to recognise such joking around

A servant appeared with more refreshments, and soon other guests began to arrive, many of whom were mere acquaintances to Lucy. Many of them were wives to friends of Elizabeth's husband, who was entertaining the men elsewhere. No doubt they would be thoroughly inebriated within a few hours, and then the party proper would begin, as would the formal dancing, and rapidly degenerate into a farcical mess. Why they bothered hiring such high calibre waltz orchestras was beyond Lucy. It was a small blessing that Katherine was just as unmarried as she was; this was indeed strange, since someone as obviously beautiful as Katherine would surely have had many offers by now. There was a lot of friction in Katherine's family, and Lucy didn't want to pry. Besides, in matters involving boys, Katherine always opened up to her eventually.

A sudden loud noise caused all heads to turn towards the sea; cannon fire! It was only then that Lucy realised that the entire dock area was in turmoil. Looking out to sea, she gasped aloud. There, racing towards the undefended and empty port, with cannons blazing, was the dreaded red sailed brig of Captain Treacher!

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Author's Note: Here be ye disclaimer. I don't own Pokemon, or any of it's place or town names. All that belongs to Nintendo.

Apologies for such a short chapter; however, it is only intended to be an introduction. From now on, chapters should be longer (though hopefully not too long)

This story is in fact an upgrade of one of my older stories which petered out and failed. Hopefully this time, it'll keep going! The setting, backstory, characters and many of the main events have been completely changed, so it's not THAT similar. Oh well. Enough scene setting, on with some action!


	2. Chapter 2

**Rift**

Chapter 2:

And suddenly, all was chaos. Their quiet afternoon thrown into disarray, panic took over. Elizabeth's husband burst into the garden, his normally red face redder now than usual, probably from alcohol. "Lizzie, you must keep the ladies here! We will go to help head off the pirates!" Before anyone could say anything, or common sense could set in, he was gone, along with the other men, into alcohol fuelled suicide. Elizabeth was now as pale as her husband had been red, the shock evident in her face. Her husband was no fighter! He had no place down there, but machismo has long been part or the hubris of men.

The town had no great walls, nor any cannon to defend themselves. Even so, normally pirates would leave off towns such as Azalea, which were too large, and liable to be full of angry defenders; their primary targets were ships and small villages. However, Treacher was no normal pirate.

He jumped from the longboat into the shallows, and roared with laughter. A massive ursaring-like man, he looked every part the pirate, from his jet black tricorn with a blood-red feather jutting from it, through his navy blue coatee with golden epaulettes and multitude of bright decorations, to his dark, well worn boots. Stroking his voluminous beard, filled with plaits and braids, he watched as his crew surged out to meet the town's scanty defenders. A small group of militia-men appeared on the beach; most of the armed forces were stationed at the major ports, in case of attacks there, leaving many smaller towns hopelessly defended. Treacher pulled out a giant cutlass and grinned.

"Alright, my boys, tis time to show these swabs the meanin' of fear! Let loose yer beasties!" he yelled.

The pirates checked their charge, and parted to let through those who were accompanied by their pokemon. A fearsome assortment, from spearows and fearows, to meowths and persians, were all released at the now terrified milita. A few retained their wits enough to draw pistols or swords, but not fast enough! The massacre was short and bloody, and soon, there was no organised resistance remaining. Treacher turned to the giant of a man who towered over even him. "Alright, Master Braithwaite, let us see what booty may be 'ad!"

"Aye, cap'n!" boomed the giant, and he stalked after the crew with his equally huge poliwrath.

It was Katherine who finally managed to gather her wits, as the pirates swarmed into the town. "To the coaches! We must escape!" The chaos that followed as everyone tried to leave via the one exit resulted in small fights breaking out as it soon became each woman for herself! The last to leave, Elizabeth, Katherine and Lucy found that there was only one coach left.

Lucy jumped, quivering, into the coach as her friends hurriedly crowded in. Slamming the door, Katherine shrieked at the coachman to go. The coach began to pick up speed, and there was a collective sigh of relief.

"CAAAAAW!" a loud screech came from outside the coach, followed by a crash. The coach tipped over, and rolled, throwing the girls all over the place. Winded, Lucy was barely able to breathe, and she ached all over from being buffeted by the rolling coach.

Lucy's eyes widened at the blood that could be seen through Elizabeth's white clothing. "Lizzie!" But there was no response. Before she could do anything, the panelling of the coach wall, now the roof, burst open, revealing a nightmare-ish face. Reaching in, the pirate pulled them out of the wreckage. He grabbed their jewellery, and then his face took on a more menacing aspect. "Well now, my pretties, what am I to do with ye?"

"AHOY! BACK TO THE BOATS!" Braithwaite yelled. Turning, the pirate grabbed at Katherine, and dragged her away. "Come on, ladies, the boats be this way now!" Though he still smiled at them, there was no mistaking the hardness of his tone. Swallowing nervously, Lucy followed, too scared to even contemplate running or helping her friend, hoping that Elizabeth was alright.

"Cap'n, lookit what I brung!" The pirate grinned at Treacher. "These beauties oughta bring fair price at the slave markets!"

"Ye did well there, Leech." Treacher glared down at Katherine. "Aye, this'ns a rare beauty... And this un'... Well, she'll do! Take 'em down to the brig and stick 'em with the others!"

As they were marched off to the boats, Lucy saw her father's face, as it seemed to look at her through lifeless eyes, his body lying on the blood soaked sands. A scream rose unbidden from her throat, and she snapped! Kicking the one known as Leech violently on the shin, she shook off another man's arm and ran to her father. "NOO! Father!" The words rushed from her mouth, and from nowhere, anger rose to replace her despair. Grabbing his sword from his dead grasp, she whirled round and charged at the two men who'd come after her. Leech, upon seeing her pick up the blade, had drawn his own, but he hadn't expected her to be able to use it! Instead of the wild swing he anticipated, she feinted subtly to his left, drawing a hurried parry, only to switch her attack direction with lightning speed. With a loud clang, her blade was blocked... By Treacher's!  
"So, ye have some small skill with yon blade! Or were ye jus' lucky?" He seemed to muse on it, and then from nowhere threw a left hook, which connected firmly with Lucy's face, knocking her down. Her vision blurred, the last thing she saw before blacking out was Leech running up to take a kick, and then the pain ended in merciful blackness.

Back on his ship, the Dreadwing, Treacher went over to the port railings, and leaning over, yelled, "Come out, my pretty! This town be in need of yore skills!" Slowly, from the deeps, a leviathon appeared, a monstrous gyarados, it's hideous face screaming vitriol, it's scaled body glistening as water sprayed off.

"Show them yer twister! Haharr!" Treacher turned to oversee his crew, and as his brig began to sail away, he cast an eye back, where a giant whirlwind of energy was laying waste to the town.

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Lucy opened her eyes. Or at least, she tried to. Her right eye wouldn't open. "Oooow..." She moaned, her entire body in agony. With her one good eye, she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a cage of some sort, with a rough wooden floor. She could see across from her cage there were other cages, some of which held other prisoners, all of whom looked miserable and starved. Any further investigation would involve movement, something she didn't feel like trying for now; the pain was bad enough while just staying put.  
"Lie still!" Katherine's voice came from just behind her. "Here, have some water"

Gratefully, she sipped at the rough edged bowl, the water tasting wonderful. "Where are we? Ooh, my head..."

"Shh, don't try to move! We are in the pirate ship, in the brig. And the reason your head hurts is because that horrible man was annoyed that you got the best of him! It was quite dreadful, why, he just kept on kicking"

"Aagh, don't remind me about that. That was a terrible idea; next time, I'm going quietly"

Katherine giggled. "I had no idea you could fence, though!"  
"You know me" Lucy winced through the pain. "If it's unlady-like, then I'm bound to enjoy it! Not that it did much good..." She subsided into a brooding silence, as she recalled that her father was dead. For all that he had been a strict and cold man, she had still loved him, and the realisation of this hit her hard, an epiphany granted all too late with his death. _'The last time I saw him... I was only too glad to get away from him!'_ The tears welled up again, but she forced them back. Her thoughts drifted to her mother, now alone. She hoped against hope that she would live to see her again.

"Do you think Lizzie was alright?"

"I..." Katherine trailed off. "I don't know..." She suddenly broke down, her brave front finally cracking. "They...They're g..g...going to enslave us!" she stammered through her tears.

The sound of a door being thrown open stopped Lucy from saying anything, and she closed her eye, pretending to still be unconscious. Loud footsteps stamped down stairs, and the pair of boots stopped outside her cage. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened her eyes. Looking up with effort, she saw the face of Leech. He glared at her with undisguised hate. Opening the cage, he stalked in, and Katherine backed away, sniffing away the last of her tears.

"Now, now, my pretty, you're safe, I wont harm yer! We can't afford to damage yore preddy face! You, on the other hand!" He gave Lucy a violent kick, causing her to gasp in pain and shock. "The cap'n has special plans for ye! So it don't matter if I teach ye some manners!" He punctuated each word with a kick, and then smiled as she lay crying in pain. He threw down a small slice of bread, and refilled the bowl of water.

"Bon apetit, bitch!" Slamming the cage door shut, he locked up and left, feeling a lot better after releasing some of his rage.

"Special plans for you!?" Katherine was shocked. "What on earth do you think he meant by that? Lucy?" But Lucy had passed out once more.

Lucy soon lost track of the time in dingy cell, where daylight didn't penetrate. The only light was from a dimmed lantern, and that wasn't always lit. Day and night seemed irrelevant down here, and her fitful sleep and waking nightmares were driving her to insanity. Permanently hungry, the two had to make do with the paltry crusts that they were given. Lucy felt the jealous thought rise up; even though they were both starving, Katherine had managed to keep her terrific figure.! She shook her head. How absurd, at a time like this! However, it was Katherine's company that kept her going. They had always been good friends, for as long as each could remember. Katherine had always been the beautiful one, how she could turn heads! Lucy, on the other hand, was slightly too thin in all the wrong places. Still, she didn't really begrudge her the good looks; it meant that all the aristocratic young men wouldn't pester her, so long as her friend kept distracting them. Katherine was almost always bubbly and cheerful, which somehow perfectly partnered Lucy's somewhat sarcastic and cynical nature. The one thing about Katherine that really annoyed Lucy was her gossipy nature... And Lucy couldn't deny that a lot of the gossip she unearthed _was_ interesting... Though there wasn't much chance of gossip in the brig.

There were only five other prisoners, three men and two women. They had been there for a lot longer than Lucy and Katherine. The only one of them who would talk regularly was a skeletal young man, who introduced himself as Flynn. He and the others were from Olivine, but had been captured while travelling to Cianwood by boat. They were the only survivors of that particular encounter. However, as to their destination, and their eventual fates, he knew as little as Lucy and Katherine did.

The journey wore endlessly on. "I wonder where we're going..." Katherine mused aloud, for possibly the thousandth time.  
"Why, let me think, the moon?" Lucy snapped back, but more out of habit than any real malice. She smiled at her friend. "You look a real state!"

"Hah, you can't talk! Uugh, is that slime in your hair!?"

"Never mind the slime in my hair, look at your dress! Was it sweat and mud brown when you purchased it? I think not!"

The ominous sound of the door opening stopped their playful banter. Lucy groaned. She knew what was coming next.

However, it was not Leech who stood at the cage door, but Treacher himself! He grinned at her, seeming to drink in her fear, enjoying every moment of her terror. He opened the door, and pulled her out.

"Well now, me ship is aflame wi' rumour about how ye bested one of my men in combat!" Still he smiled, his eyes cold, but showing some genuine amusement. For her part, Lucy was too afraid to really listen to what he was saying, the fear gripping her, knotting her stomach, its icy cold tendrils spreading through her, spearing her racing heart. Treacher pulled her closer, so close that she could see the individual hairs of his beard, and smell the stale sweat.

"Now, I've a small test in mind for ye. 'Twill help me decide what I'm to do wi' ye. Come!" And now the humour was gone, and he was deadly serious.

Following, her trepidation not subsiding in the least, she was led out onto the main deck. The sunlight, though dimmed by thin cloud, was still too bright for her poorly adjusted eyes. Squinting blindly, she could barely take in the villainous figures of Treacher's crew, who stood, idly milling around, as if waiting for something. The tall mainmast creaked in the wind, and as her eyes adapted, she was able to make out the figure of Leech as he lounged against it. Her vision improving quite rapidly now, she realised that he was standing in a circle marked out in chalk. Treacher drew a cutlass from one of his men, and placing it in her hand, pushed her into the circle. She stood aghast, as he explained, "Right, tis a fight, and the normal rules apply. No quarter to be asked nor given. If ye step out of the circle, ye lose, and tis death. Haharr, ye may begin!" The crew cheered, and yelled their approval.

Leech advanced, his own cutlass out and ready. This time, he was expecting her. This time, surprise was no longer her ally. She swallowed, Rafael's advice clamouring uselessly in her mind, nothing making sense. Leech must have sensed her fear, and he grinned, preparing to end this fight before it had even begun!

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A/N

Right, that's a bit longer. And I know, very little pokemon in it at the moment, but don't worry, we'll get there!


	3. Chapter 3

**Rift**

Chapter 3:

Leech swung his blade in a vicious arc, and it was only by reflex that Lucy was able to bring her own sword up to parry. And even then, she barely managed to stop the blow. The force of the impact jarred her arm, and she gritted her teeth against the pain. Their blades were locked, but Leech had the upper hand here with superior strength, and he knew it. Grinning, he pushed harder, forcing Lucy back. Desperate, Lucy suddenly pulled her blade back and gave way, falling sideways in the process. Leech had not expected such a move, and surged forward, but his relexes were quick, and he checked himself. Spinning round, he saw Lucy pushing herself up. She cursed her skirts and their complex lace pleats, which just hindered her movement. Realising that she had to take the battle to Leech, she started an attack of her own. She did not even have to think about the fact that like her, Leech was right handed, and had a slightly wide guard. Such things were automatic to her now. The cutlass was short and heavy, completely different from her weapon of choice, the rapier. However, with its single cutting edge, it bore some similarities to the sabre, a weapon which she did have some experience with. Reflecting that none of Rafael's training had included and opponent bent on killing her, she started forward. The ship at that moment lurched suddenly, and the deck already being somewhat wet and slippery, Lucy lost her footing and fell over with a loud curse. The crew seemed hugely amused by this, roaring out their laughter. A second shortcoming in Rafael's teachings, she noted, as she wobbled around, somewhat unsteadily. The weather was quickly worsening, and the winds began to pick up as the clouds spat out a light drizzle. Since most of her time on board had been spent lying down, she hadn't exactly acquired her sea legs yet.

None of this was of any concern to Leech, a man who'd spent much of his life on ships. Moving expertly, he danced around Lucy, as she clumsily tried to attack him. Lunging at him, she tried another feint at his head, before switching to the side, but he reacted swiftly, blocking with ease. Off balance, Lucy noticed that he could have easily delivered the fatal blow while she recovered, and she realised that he was toying with her; he wanted to humiliate her, and he wasn't about to finish her off any time soon. Desperation began to show, as she ploughed forward; as far as technical skill went, she knew she had the upper hand, and she tried to make this tell. However, without footwork, her attacks were uncertain and slow. The blades clanged loudly in the rain. Lucy sliced at her opponent's face, causing him to back up. The deck shifted again, and she threw her arms out to steady herself, giving Leech time to recover. This time, he came at her, throwing out an obvious feint. Lucy ignored it, and saw from his eyes where he intended to attack. Her parry was forceful, and the riposte rapid, but Leech got his own blade back in time. Breathing heavily, Lucy cursed her inappropriate clothing once more... which gave her an idea! Gathering her long skirts, she took her blade to them, cutting all the way round at knee length, hoping that Leech wouldn't take advantage of the distraction. _'If only you could see me now, mother!'_ she thought.

She finished sawing through the once expensive and beautiful clothing, to much whistling from the assorted pirates. The rain had increased, and now, thoroughly soaked, she had another idea. The weight of the severed cloth in her hand was surely a potential weapon! Leech had lowered his guard, and was watching her with signs of obvious amusement. Gripping the torn material hard, she flicked savagely at his face. The material was whipped forward in a pathetically slow sinusoidal arc, woefully off target. However, the sneaky attack had lost her the element of surprise. With a growl of pure rage, Leech brought his guard back up and closed her down. Flailing wildly with her makeshift whip, she managed to slow his advance. It was a simple job for him to dodge her meagre barrage. Screaming madly, in a last ditch attempt to get past his guard, she threw the sodden material at him. He ducked the attack easily, and Lucy suddenly knew she was doomed, standing rooted to the spot by fear. In fact, the only thing that kept her from meeting her fate at the end of Leech's sword was another swell of the sea, which threw her completely off balance. Teetering perilously close to his rapid strike, she managed to avoid it, only to crash into the mast. Falling backwards, she looked up through the rain at Leech, his ugly visage twisted with unadulterated hatred. As he prepared the final blow, Treacher yelled out, "ENOUGH!"

Shocked, Leech turned suddenly to his captain. "But.. Cap'n!"  
"Sheath yore sword!"

"Aye... Cap'n" Leech's eyes were murderous as he returned his blade to its sheath; his revenge had been stopped, and the taunts of the crew would continue. He stalked off, and laughing and mocking, the crew parted to let him through.

Treacher's roughened hand grabbed Lucy, and pulled her upright none too gently. "Ye did well!" He smiled, and it put Lucy in mind of a sharpedo grinning at a goldeen... "Ye did very well"

He dragged her back to the damp and dingy cell, but since she was already thoroughly soaked, the wetness didn't bother her overmuch. Overjoyed to see Katherine again, she collapsed into her arms, embracing her fiercely. Katherine was crying with relief, "I'm s...so glad you're safe! When th...that beast said test...?"

"Stop c...crying! You're so overly emotional!" Lucy smiled as she chided her friend through tears of her own. They drifted off to sleep, still hugging eachother, both utterly exhausted.

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It was one of those rare times that Flynn was being talkative. Leech hadn't come down to bring food for a while now. In fact, since the fight, it had been another man, short and stocky with a brutal face. Lucy wondered what had stopped Leech coming to take out his anger on her, but whatever the cause, she was grateful. Now, she listened quietly as Flynn talked about his own past. He was so very thin, but then, so were all the others here. His face was terribly emaciated, and his hair, patchy in places, had grown longer to frame it. His voice was quiet and breathy, coming out in short whispers, like brief puffs of wind. It made it quite hard to understand what he was saying sometimes.

It turned out that he was from Kanto. He had once been a fisherman, though that seemed like a lifetime ago. The other two men who shared his cage were bakers from Cinnabar, though what two bakers from Cinnabar were doing on a boat from Olivine to Cianwood was a mystery to Lucy. They were close friends, that much was apparent, and both were short, gaunt and sallow of face, and neither would talk of their past beyond the scantiest details. They had introduced themselves as Renn and Duran, and as long as the topic of their history was avoided, they had become quite talkative. There were two other women as well. One was tall, as thin as an ekans, and with a snake-like face to match. Her hair was dark black and straight, and she would not talk to any of the others, save the young girl in the cage with her. Her mutterings were hard to make out, and Lucy guessed that the girl was her daughter. Just as the mother, the girl refused to talk to any of them. According to Flynn, the two had been there before he had been captured.

"I reckons that they've been 'ere so long, their minds 'ave gone..." he explained. It was a terrible thought, and Lucy shuddered.

Now that some sort of friendship had been struck up with the others, time passed much more quickly. Lucy had become accustomed to the damp brig, though it was a far cry from the mansions of her youth, and sleeping on the hard floor in the constantly pitching ship still made her sleep fitful and scant. And then, as abruptly as it had started, their journey ended.

From within the brig, they weren't even able to tell that the ship had stopped moving. In fact, it was only from the shouts of the pirates above that they realised they had reached land. Lucy felt a strange mix of excitement and apprehension. It was clear form Katherine's face that she felt much the same. The door was thrown loudly open, and one of the pirates stalked in. He opened Lucy's cage door, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out. As he locked the door, it suddenly dawned on her that Katherine wasn't being taken to the same place. Wordlessly, she gaped at her friend, who was similarly shocked by the realisation. She had time to say "I..." and then no more, as she was cruelly hauled away, tears silently streaming down her face. She looked up, and saw Treacher's face one more time. "Welcome to Fallaridge, the pirate port!" Fallaridge... That was on Hoenn! He nodded to someone behind her, and then there was a crashing pain in the back of her head, followed by darkness.

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She awoke to a throbbing headache, and on opening her eyes, found herself in a cold stone room. Spartan in appearance, there was no furniture, beyond a wooden plank that was clearly intended as a bed. "What wonderful accomodation!" she muttered darkly. There was no time for her to wonder to whom she had been sold; the thick wooden door was opened, and a large guard walked in. He was topless, showing off his oiled and gleaming muscles. He seized her arm none too gently, and pulled her out of the room without a word. "And such great hospitalit-eek!" Lucy was cut off by a vicious tug. They traversed a dimly lit coridoor, and then suddenly they were outside, in the bright sunlight. Squinting at the intense light, she was able to take in the large compound in which she stood. Brown-yellow sand made up the floor, and through the archway at the far end, she was able to make out what seemed like endless, golden, glimmering desert. The whitewashed walls of the building served only to make it seem even brighter. The heat made the walls seem to shimmer, and the dust was choking her in the arid heat.

She was taken to a line of men, and from within the building, someone else appeared. He was shaded by a large parasol carried by a broken looking slave. Coming to a stop a few metres from the line, he spoke, his voice harsh and guttural. "You men are here for one reason only! That is, for entertainment. Not your own, of course, but for that of the crowd that will watch you. Watch you fight, watch you win or watch you lose. Watch you bleed, watch you kill, watch you die. And now, my time is precious, so your training will begin." He nodded curtly to one of his guards, and then walked back into his house. The guard came over, and addressed them himself. "You will all learn how to fight from me! And you will learn to win. We do not train losers here! Those of you who are... unsuited... You will be removed!" His words left Lucy in little doubt as to what "removed" meant.

So, she was to be a gladiator... She swallowed nervously. She knew so little about the gladiator pits of Hoenn. They were said to be vicious and deadly, with various owners pitting their men against eachothers, the victor taking the spoils. The rumours had reached Johto, where such terrible contests were outlawed, rumours of brutal battles to the death. Lucy was pretty certain that it was only her dehydration that kept her from crying in abject terror.

"First, you must all meet your new partners!" He signalled with his arm, waving it impatiently. A cart was dragged over, and within it were all manner of wild pokemon. Pokemon for battles!? The idea would have seemed so absurd, had she not already witnessed it, when Treacher had attacked. "These beasts have been tamed, but you must still learn to fight with them. A close bond with your partner will give you the edge in battle!" So saying, he opened the doors, and dragged over one of the men. Nervously, he pointed at a poochyena; the trainer nodded, and he and his partner were led away. Seeing Lucy, the trainer was taken aback. "You there, woman, step forward! You may have next choice!"

Trembling, Lucy edged slowly towards the cart. Peeking inside, she saw a large variety of pokemon, all seemingly as scared and cowed as she was. Aware that the trainer was becoming impatient, she looked around desperately, and... there! She pointed at a strange looking plant, short and squat, and covered in spikes. It looked as if it was suitable for fighting, though she didn't recognise what it was. _'It must be a local pokemon'_ she thought. It was definitely some kind of plant... The trainer nodded his affirmation, and then announced, "So, you want that cacnea, eh? It's a girl, though that don't make it any less vicious!"

As she was led away, she couldn't help but feel as if though there was something that she was not getting here, some kind of joke that she was missing. She looked at the cacnea that was waddling alongside her. "Guess I'll name you... " But there was only one name on her mind, and as she said it, tears sprung unbidden to her eyes. "Katherine"


End file.
